Uttarakhand fires: Govt suspends 10 forest personnel
Uttarakhand fires: Govt suspends 10 forest personnel
A forest fire in Dhumakot area of Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. (Express photo by Avaneesh Mishra)
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami Wednesday suspended 10 forest personnel and issued directions to initiate disciplinary action against seven others for their alleged negligence that led to forest fires in Uttarakhand’s Nainital and Pauri Garhwal districts.
On Wednesday, CM Dhami held a meeting with senior officials at the Secretariat to discuss the forest fires that have been ravaging Uttarakhand and issued directions to take necessary action against the concerned personnel for negligence.
During the meeting, Dhami said local traditions to control and manage forest fires should be revived and that a campaign should be launched for cleanliness of fire lines, in which the public should also be encouraged to participate.
uttarakhand
The fires have so far affected 1,196 hectares of forest land, led to reports of wild animals encroaching into residential areas, and claimed four lives. (Express Photo: Avaneesh Mishra)
Dhami said water conservation works should also be a part of the plantation drives and other works that are undertaken by the forest department. He also issued directions to increase the moisture cover of the forests by creating ponds to prevent forest fires. The Chief Minister said the Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization is doing good work in this direction and that lessons should be learnt from them on how to control forest fires. Since pine trees shed their needles during summer months, Dhami said local self-help groups should be roped in to collect the needles so that incidents of forest fire could be be prevented in future.
Dhami instructed that personnel engaged in forest fire control as well as the panchayat and local community institutions should be rewarded. He said life insurance should be provided to fire watchers and other workers engaged in forest fire control and management. After the meeting, Dhami left for the on-site inspection of a fire in Rudraprayag.
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